Attendance at the Tyrone Prom will likely hit an all-time high this year. While that might sound like good news, not a single Tyrone student interviewed by the Eagle Eye was happy about the reason.
Students learned that attendance will be up this year because the Tyrone Area School District has decided to combine its prom with neighboring Bellwood-Antis High School.
“With the shrinking number of students in each school, and the rising cost of hosting events, neither school district was going to be able to afford a prom,” said Tyrone Superintendent Leslie Estep, “We got together and decided that combining events would be the best option. We knew people wouldn’t like it, but if it weren’t for this, neither school would be able to afford a prom in a few years.”
Students learned about the plan from a memo distributed on Tuesday to all Tyrone juniors and seniors.
Sent by TASD School Board member and student activities committee chair Gunter Volders, the memo stated that the schools will combine proms to “maximize efficiency while preserving the student dance experience.”
The district said that the change will save money on decorations, security, refreshments, entertainment, and even “balloon-related expenses.” The board also announced that the event will no longer be called prom.
Instead, it will be renamed the Bell-’Rone Interdistrict Spring Formal, a title administrators said better reflects “unity, fiscal responsibility, operational efficiency, and constructive engagement between neighboring student populations.”
In addition to declining enrollment and rising costs, district officials also cited a general lack of interest in the event as another reason for the change.
“In recent years, interest in traditional school dances has declined among the current generation of students, which has directly impacted prom attendance,” said Tyrone prom adviser Brittany Baker.
According to Baker, “many students think school dances are boring and would rather spend their free time scrolling social media than go to the trouble and expense of attending an actual in-person event where interacting with others is required.”
However, for students who are still interested in this fading tradition, the prom committees from both schools are currently working together to finalize details.
Because both schools have already chosen a theme, the prom committees will merge them into a single theme. Tyrone’s theme is Mama Mia, and Bellwood’s is jungle-themed. How that will work remains to be seen.
(Click the prom podcast episode above to see reactions from the prom committee members and Prom Committee Adviser Brittany Baker.)
Other details that have been announced so far are:
The event will still be held at the Discovery Center in Altoona. But next year, it will likely move to the Casino, as school officials from both districts have agreed to alternate the choice of venue annually between Tyrone and Bellwood.
There will still be a prom king and queen from each school, but students may only vote for nominees from their own school.
The DJ will be instructed to alternate song requests between the schools to ensure “fair representation” of both schools’ musical tastes.
The most controversial change of all involves the dress code. According to the memo, students will be prohibited from wearing formal attire in either school’s official school color combinations. That means no black/orange or blue/yellow color combinations for dresses and tuxes.
“We think this will avoid rivalry issues or fights between students of both schools,” Tyrone Dean of Students Luke Rhoades said. “Wearing unauthorized school colors will be grounds for immediate dismissal from the event.”
When asked what students should do if they had already purchased formalwear in one of those color combinations, Rhoades said they would have to wear something else if they want to attend.
However, there will be one exception to the ‘no school colors’ rule. According to Rhoades, wearing all four colors on the same dress or tuxedo will be considered a sign of inter-district unity and is permitted. Rhoades said he ordered himself a custom suit in black, orange, blue, and yellow just for the event.
Despite overwhelming opposition from Tyrone students, TASD school board member and student activities committee chairperson Gunter Volders defended the decision, calling the combined prom a “common-sense move” and “not a big deal since Bellwood and Tyrone students already participate together on sports teams.”
His daughter, Elise Volders, who is a senior on the prom committee, disagrees.
“After I found out, he really got the silent treatment. I’m really disappointed in the school’s decision to do this,” said Elise Volders. “I was so angry when I found out. It would have been nice for him to approach me about it because he knows the role I play on the prom committee.”
Board member Volders added that he and the administration at both schools are still working to resolve several unanswered questions, including which school’s name will appear first on the tickets and whether students from opposite districts will be permitted to slow dance together without prior administrative approval.
